And while some critics have suggested his rematch with Rich Franklin in the headliner of this weekend’s UFC 147 event at Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, isn’t such a contest, “The Axe Murderer” begs to differ.

Oh, and he also promises another big fight is on the way very soon, unless Vitor Belfort decides he’s still not ready to fight.

Silva and Belfort, of course, were opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,” the first international version of the long-running reality competition series. The two were supposed to meet in the headliner of Saturday’s pay-per-view event, but Belfort broke his hand in training and was forced to withdraw from the matchup.

Except Silva didn’t exactly buy the story when it happened, and he doesn’t exactly buy it now.

“You need to ask him,” Silva said when asked if he still believed Belfort was less than truthful. “I looked in the news, and he started training right now. He recovered so fast, didn’t he? I don’t know.”

With Belfort out, the UFC turned to longtime company man Franklin, who has oftentimes taken on roles that helped UFC officials in times of need. The two have met before, with Franklin three years ago walking away with a “Fight of the Night” win at UFC 99.

While Belfort is still on Silva’s hitlist, he guarantees his focus isn’t anywhere except on “Ace.”

“He’s a good fighter,” Silva said of Franklin. “He’s a big name. He was the last UFC middleweight champion before Anderson Silva. This is a great fight for me, and we’re going to give a great fight for the fans.

“I changed my mindset for the next opponent. I have a big test with him, and I hope he planned very well.”

Silva fights in his native Brazil for the first time since 2000, and the booking allowed him to train in his hometown of Curitiba. The 35-year-old Silva said he’s feeling better than ever and will prove it on Saturday night.

“I feel great,” Silva said. “I’m healthy, and I have no injuries. My mind is good. The age is just a number.”

So is the number of fights left in Silva’s career. A warrior throughout the formative years of MMA, Silva’s place in MMA history is secure. But it’s obvious the sting of a 1998 loss to Belfort is still bothersome, and a stint opposite his nemesis on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” did little to quell the rivalry.

So win or lose, is Silva expecting a matchup with “The Phenom” his next time out?

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?